Fire-extinguisher.



w. 'Ag SLA-TER. rms exzmmsnfs APPLICATION min APR". 21. um.

meme@ Aug. Y, mw.

Macnee.'

Im, F PITTSBURGH. PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F TEXAS.

i lTo altwwmiz't may concern:

Be it knownthat I, Wma msnm, a citizenof the United States, residing at Fort Worth, in the county lof Tarrant and State of Texas, have invented certain new vand useful Im rovements in FirefExtinguishers, of whichthe following is a specif` 1 lication. 'This invention relates to independently 'supported liquid level in the tank, and communicating with said tank above said level', the bottom of said box being substantially V-shaped and there being means located within the foam box through which foam producing' chemicals may be delivered at the lowest point in said foam box while rising foam'is delivered into the tank from a higher point of said box, and said tank'be'ing provided with a plurality of angle irons extendmg vertically adjacent to the foam box, said angle irons being spaced away from the tank, and the foam boxbeing secured to said angle irons by means of braces; all as more fully hereinater set forth and as claimed.

,l A well known method of extinguishing oil iires is to use a foaming aqueous liquid;

the foam rendering the liquid sufficiently light'to float on the oil and thereby prevent access of air. Water alone ofcoursehas no extinguishingvalue -since burning oil oats on it. The foam is ordinarily made by mixing a solution of a carbonate gen- I. erally 'sodium' 'carbonate or bicarbonate) with a dilute acid such as sulfuric acid, or with otherA solution capable of acting on carbonateswith evolution of carbon dioxid. A solution of alum or of sulfate of aluminais often used. Ordinarily something having the property of making foams permanent 1s also used. Saponin (extract of soapbark,

rrnnnxrmeursnna.

Specification of Letters Patent.

al. lire extinguish`. ers; and it comprises. an oil tank provided with a particular type 'of foam box, saidv foam box being and being. -posltioned above the normal..

Foam-producing devices or installations are often dlrectly and permanently con- Inected to the oil tanks used for storage of oils, such as'petroleumv oils. The connection` is generally by a pipe extending up tov with a resulting warping or collapse of the lwall suiiicient to place the connection or device out of action. Explosions .within the tank may, similarly, also put out of action anything directly attached to the tank wall.

In the present invention I provide permanent means located near the top of the oil tank but spaced somewhat away therefrom and supported independentlyl of the tank lWall by a'suitable standard. This much reduces 4the danger o'f 4iire or explosion within the tank putting the foam .producing device out of action.` Internally the foam producing device is so arranged as to allow a good and thorough -admixture of the chemical with production of a rising foam, only this rising foam being drawn oii. There isno utility in. introducing into the oil tank anything but foam since any portion of liquid so introduced simply sinks throu h the body of oil and is useless and may be etrimental. To this end I provide a large o en connection between the top of the foam ox and the tank. The foam box below this connection is best, at' leastin part, triangular in section. The bottom of this V-shaped box producing chemicals, which are ordinarily two liquids, at a low point inthe tapering box. .The expanding foam requires more room than the liquids from which it is produced.r Introduction of the liquids is through a pair of perforated pipes within the box with their perforations directed downwardly in or toward the sloping bottom. The liquids from the pipes flow down the ,slanting or slopingsides to the bottom and are there thorou lily mixed. Two supply pipes are provi ed between the 4liquid inlets of the foam box and sources of supply on the round at a distance from the oil tank. desirable way oi supporting the foam box is to carry it from a pair of angle WILLIAM A; sLArEn, or roar wonxrrr,l TExAs, AssIGNoR 'ro GULF REFINING coin- Patented Jdang.. t', 191% application meenam 27,1917. Y 'serial No. 164,885.

should be well below the foam conduit. I .provide means for introducing the foam irons attached to the top of a standard spaced a little way from the oil tank. The

Fig. 1 showing the foam box in section;

and

\ Fig. 3 isa vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 2.

Oil tank A may be of anysuitable construction; and as fragmentarily 'shown 1s the usual tank employed for storing petroleum. The foam box of the present invention which is indicated as a Whole byB is located near the top of this tank and communicates therewith through a suitable conduit. It is however not carried by the tank proper but by a pair of vertical standards 1 of angle iron or like material advantageously extending from the ground to a point substantially below the top of the tank. These uprights may be attached to the tank by rivets Q or the like, but are spaced away therefrom by spacing rings or Washers 3.

'This spacing away prevents the heat of the tank wall beingl communicated to the standards; and thestandards not only `serve to support the foam box but also to give stillness to the tank Wall. As shown, the foam' box is carried from these standards by a pair of braces 4. These braces are secured to the standards by rivets or the like 5 and are attached to the box at 6. Conduit 7 leads into the top of the oil tank, and receives foam from a high point in the foam box. As shown. the top of the foam box is rectangular in cross-section and the bottom is provided with two plates or walls 8 and 9 coming together to give the stated shape at `the bottom. The vertical Wall above 9 extends to the top of the box while that above 8, element 10, extends only part Way and virtually constitutes a dam between the box and the conduit since the box or casing extends laterally beyond this wall. VThe couduit has a prolongation 11 sloping up to the top of this dam wall and forming a part of the bottom of the casing. Within the foam box and just above the sloping or angular bottom are a pair of horizontal pipes 1Q, each provided with a number ot relatively small pertorations 13 on its under side to discharge liquids downi'vardly along the. sloping bottom ot the ioam box. This arrangement ol' orifices gives a ver)y good admixture of the chemicals. (lounected to the horizontal pipes are supply pipes 1/1 continued outside the foam box as 15 and l5. These prolongations reach downto the ground and to sources of supply (not shown) of carbonate solution and chemicals adapted to react therewith. They may of course be supplied by pumps or in any suitable Way. At the top the foam box is provided with cover 16 secured by bolts 1.7 in flanges 18. At the bottom the foam box is provided with valved outlet 19 for cleansing and for removal of solutions.

The foam box may be made of any usual/l structural material such as iron or Steelf. but should be of relatively strong construe? tion since it should be adapted to resist 'shocks from explosions or the like occurring in the tank and propagated through the wide open conduit between the box and the tank. A wide conduit is necessary for the quick introduction of great volumes of l foam.

auv

for the oil tank at a point Where stitness y is particularly desirable; the point Where the foam box is located. 3

In use it is :intended to have liquid only in the tapering bottom of the box, the space between the liquid level and the top of the dam forming a settling chamber for the foam; a chamber in which the liquid and the foam can separate. The top of the box is extended some distance above the top ol the dam to give storage room for foam. The more desirable types of foam used for extinguishing the oil fires are often rather thick and sluggish' in their tlow and it is better to have ample chamber space tor the Y,

accommodation of such a foam.

The foam box described may of course be directly attached to the top of the `tank but for the reasons before stated it is better to provide vthe independent or semi-in,- dependent support shown.

After use, the foam box may be readily. cleaned out by transmitting water thrrmgh the supply pipes 'from any suitable conade tion (not shown) and removing it through 19. Wiat I claim iszl. ln fire cxti n uisbiug inra n: an oil tank.` i'ertiral supi. stantially below the top ol J.lie

'meegaan I secured to the outside thereof, a foam box carriedby said supports at a point near the top of the tank, and a foam conduitcoiiv necting the top of the foam box with the top of the oil tank. f y

2. An oil tankyprovided with -re extinguishing means located near its top, such fire extinguishing means comprising a box-like casing with sides tapering toward the boti tom, means located for-delivering a p'ai'r of solutions onto said tapering sides and tov conduit establishing communication between the top of the oil tank.

4. rIhe combination with an oil tank of a foam box located near the top thereof and of said casing and the top 'of said casing and the topv tft.

deliveringv solutions` above the bottom and onto said slanting sides, and supply pipes connected with said means.

5. rllhe combination with a tank having an l opening therein, of a foam box secured to the tank and having an outlet registering withsaid opening in the tank, lthe bottom of. said foam box being provided with inclined walls, as dam between said outlet and' 'inclined walls, and means for feeding substances int the foam box and over the inclined walls to mix 'said substances and to produce gases and foam destructive to comustion.

6. The combinatioiiwith a tank, of a foam box and supports therefor, the box" being charge the contents into said tank near the top thereof, and said supports comprising a beam secured to the tank, meansfor securing the box v4.to the beam, and means for spacing thebeam from the tank.

7 The combination with a tank of a foam box and supportsV therefor, the said supports comprising a beam extending substanvlprovided with anoutlet adapted'v to distiallyubelow the'top'of the -tank and conture hereto.

' nected thereto but spaced away therefrom. in communication therewith, said foam box .provided with slanting Ysides toward the bottom thereofymeans within the box for 

